Be on the lookout for unexplained events in the world that are starting to poke wholes in this entire global warming thing.
Argentine glacier advances despite global warming
By JEANNETTE NEUMANN, Associated Press Writer Jeannette Neumann, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jun 14, 3:55 pm ET
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier is one of only a few ice fields worldwide that have withstood rising global temperatures.
Nourished by Andean snowmelt, the glacier constantly grows even as it spawns icebergs the size of apartment buildings into a frigid lake, maintaining a nearly perfect equilibrium since measurements began more than a century ago.
"We're not sure why this happens," said Andres Rivera, a glacialist with the Center for Scientific Studies in Valdivia, Chile. "But not all glaciers respond equally to climate change."
Viewed at a safe distance on cruise boats or the wooden observation deck just beyond the glacier's leading edge, Perito Moreno's jagged surface radiates a brilliant white in the strong Patagonian sun. Submerged sections glow deep blue.
And when the wind blows in a cloud cover, the 3-mile-wide (5 kilometer) glacier seems to glow from within as the surrounding mountains and water turn a meditative gray.
Every few years, Perito Moreno expands enough to touch a point of land across Lake Argentina, cutting the nation's largest freshwater lake in half and forming an ice dam as it presses against the shore.
The water on one side of the dam surges against the glacier, up to 200 feet (60 meters) above lake level, until it breaks the ice wall with a thunderous crash, drowning the applause of hundreds of tourists.
"It's like a massive building falling all of the sudden," said park ranger Javier D'Angelo, who experienced the rupture in 2008 and 1998.
The rupture is a reminder that while Perito Moreno appears to be a vast, 19-mile-long (30 kilometer) frozen river, it's a dynamic icescape that moves and cracks unexpectedly.
"The glacier has a lot of life," said Luli Gavina, who leads mini-treks across the glacier's snow fields.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090614/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_argentina_glacier
Why dont we hear more about these types of stories?
Argentine glacier advances despite global warming
By JEANNETTE NEUMANN, Associated Press Writer Jeannette Neumann, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jun 14, 3:55 pm ET
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier is one of only a few ice fields worldwide that have withstood rising global temperatures.
Nourished by Andean snowmelt, the glacier constantly grows even as it spawns icebergs the size of apartment buildings into a frigid lake, maintaining a nearly perfect equilibrium since measurements began more than a century ago.
"We're not sure why this happens," said Andres Rivera, a glacialist with the Center for Scientific Studies in Valdivia, Chile. "But not all glaciers respond equally to climate change."
Viewed at a safe distance on cruise boats or the wooden observation deck just beyond the glacier's leading edge, Perito Moreno's jagged surface radiates a brilliant white in the strong Patagonian sun. Submerged sections glow deep blue.
And when the wind blows in a cloud cover, the 3-mile-wide (5 kilometer) glacier seems to glow from within as the surrounding mountains and water turn a meditative gray.
Every few years, Perito Moreno expands enough to touch a point of land across Lake Argentina, cutting the nation's largest freshwater lake in half and forming an ice dam as it presses against the shore.
The water on one side of the dam surges against the glacier, up to 200 feet (60 meters) above lake level, until it breaks the ice wall with a thunderous crash, drowning the applause of hundreds of tourists.
"It's like a massive building falling all of the sudden," said park ranger Javier D'Angelo, who experienced the rupture in 2008 and 1998.
The rupture is a reminder that while Perito Moreno appears to be a vast, 19-mile-long (30 kilometer) frozen river, it's a dynamic icescape that moves and cracks unexpectedly.
"The glacier has a lot of life," said Luli Gavina, who leads mini-treks across the glacier's snow fields.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090614/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_argentina_glacier
Why dont we hear more about these types of stories?
Wholes?
ReplyDeleteClimate change isn't like the tooth fairy, it doesn't matter whether you believe in it or not, nor will a single study, or even several, prove or disprove a fuzzy edged concept. It is like trying to measure how many jobs Obama has 'saved'.
Humanity is rather obviously having an impact on the environment, the debate is only on the extent.
If you notice, the article never mentions global warming, but does say "Argentina's Perito Moreno glacier is one of only a few ice fields worldwide that have withstood rising global temperatures." which is hardly a rejection of climate change. The prediction isn't that everywhere on the planet will get hot, but that the rising global average will change ocean and air currents, which change things like plankton growth and weather patterns, which end up changing local climates and ecosystems. Russia may end up warmer and rainy while the U.S. ends up colder and drier.